One of the several projects helping to keep me insane over this last crazy, busy week was a field trip to Washington, DC with about a dozen Chinese exchange students. I always assumed Chinese students were much more respectful and dignified than their American counterparts. I learned this week that children have the potential to be universally unruly.Aside from stopping every 10 or 15 feet to take pictures of everything (squirrel nests, park benches, souvenir stands), these had to be about the most gluttonous group of people I've ever met. We had a budget of $200 to feed 12 students, and they spent close to $350. Some of them ate pizza and chicken fingers and french fries and a whole chicken, not to mention a few pieces of fruit and bottles of juice for the bus ride home.
The highlight of this day of metaphorically herding Chinese cats, however, was our trip to the World War II Memorial. One girl whose English leaves a great deal to be desired approached another teacher and me near the back of the Memorial. We were standing by the large stones representing the last few U.S. states, as well as the territories. She pointed to one of the stones and said, "What is that?" We explained that each of the large stones represents a state or territory. "No," she replied, increasingly frustrated. "What is that one? Virgin Islands?" We explained further that the U.S. Virgin Islands are a tropical vacation destination in the Caribbean. "No," she sighed, obviously exhausted by our ignorance. "What does 'virgin' mean?" The other teacher and I looked at each other, trying not to laugh, and having a silent conversation as to how to explain the definition of "virgin" to a girl with limited English proficiency at best. "It means pure," I blurted out. "It means pure and untouched." The Chinese girl nodded and appeared to accept that answer. "Ok," she said as she snapped a photo of the "Virgin Islands" stone and walked away. After congratulating each other on how well we dodged her question, we wondered how that girl would use her new-found vocabulary word when she returned to China. "I do not want that spoiled apple. Please give me one that is a virgin."
2 comments:
Ah, yes! CPS is still alive and well. I seem to recall an incident at a restaurant when a daughter of mine was standing next to a newly resupplied batch of chocolate pudding cake. Next to her was a very elderly lady. The daughter yelled across the restaurant to her father, "Dad! It's a virgin!" Ah, yes! Your version works!
Funny, I thought of the same story.
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